Day: July 6, 2017

Unified Command Meeting Notes

For those of us who cannot attend, it is nice to finally get the notes from these meetings. Martha sent this to me yesterday.

Highway One Incident
Unified Command, BSVFB/OES.
Bulletin
Monday July 3rd meeting/conference call.

Situation:
3 road closures along Highway One from SLO County line to MM 45. One at Mud CK. approximately MM 8, one at Paul’s slide approximately MM 22 and one at Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge approximately MM 45.

Traffic for residents/deliveries only, ingress and egress is over Nacimiento-Fergusson road through Paul’s slide. See Cal Trans bulletins for times or call 805-549-3138 for further information.

State Parks: Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Partington Cove and the trails on the East side of the highway are closed. Pfeiffer State Park reopened almost all of its campsites and day use areas July 1, 2017. Andrew Molera State Park expects to have a trail to the beach open by July 30, 2017.

The Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge bypass trail opened to the public July 1, 2017. Must have a permit to park in the back country parking, parking for residents/workers only.
For more information call 831-667-2315.

USFS: The forest is closed mainly on the Pine Ridge trail and within the Soberanes fire “footprint”, there are other closures. For more information call 831-385-5434.
(Pfeiffer Beach is closed to everyone)

The Old Coast/County road is closed to vehicle traffic.

Businesses:
All businesses north of the PCB at MM 45 are open.

Businesses that are open south of the PCB are: Deli/Taphouse, Loma Vista gas station, (limited hours) Post Ranch Inn, Nepenthe and the Hawthorne Gallery, (limited hours).

A shuttle service began on July 1, 2017 from Andrew Molera parking lot to the camp store in the back of Pfeiffer Park. Contact Sur Transportation for details, 831-667-5075 or 831-238-1203.

Updates: Monday, July 3 2107.

Cal Trans: Paul’s slide is close to completing the “cut”, mid-July still the target opening date. Close to getting the permit to complete the turnaround at the Post Office. They are not aware of any issues with the south bridge abutment at PCB, will confirm.

State Parks: The opening went well, there was one rescue. OK for bicyclists to carry their bikes across the trail, no need to take the front wheel off.

Shuttle: Went well, approximately a little under 100 riders that came from Molera each day on Saturday and Sunday. Should be able to use a State Parks annual pass to park at Molera free for the shuttle.

Trail: Thanks to Nepenthe for staffing a table at the top of the trail, they counted the people coming up the trail for 4 days. No break down as to residents, campers, but you can deduct the numbers from the shuttle to get an idea. 7/1, 284 people. 7/2 428, 7/3 382. All things considered for opening on a holiday weekend only a few incidents we are aware of. Maybe more signage for the trail, USFS will put up a sign addressing fire danger. Request for a garbage receptacle.

CHP: Starting the 7th will have an Officer patrolling Friday through Monday regularly from 09:00 to 19:30 on the south end, he or she should come up as far north as the deli.

SO: Jesse is out patrolling regularly, both south and north of the PCB.

Unified Command: Discussed the need to continue after Paul’s slide is open, no objections voiced. CT conference calls will continue.
We will plan the next UC meeting on July 17th to be on the south side at the fire house.

Other: Tourists walking and biking in the road, electric bike tours advertising going to closed areas, (Parks to address). Other advertising showing illegal bonfires on the beach, USFS to address. Residents and tourists crossing the PCB work area after hours, SO to confirm the signage, they will start citing. Traffic on Nacimiento road, we will respond as usual to any incidents. Suggestion to put a “no camping” sign at the bottom of Naci so people know they cannot camp alongside the road.
Campers have nowhere to camp on the south side, and bicyclists have no through traffic as Paul’s slide is a closed area for residents/deliveries only, they either should not be heading south or should return the same day.

Call 911 for any emergencies.

Then & Now

Thanks to Sylvia Trotter Anderson, in a comment on an earlier post, I was pointed to this valuable resource. Whoever digitalized this deserves our deepest gratitude. Here is a screen shot of the headlines of this gem.

IMG_2915

Here is the link: Big Sur Gazette, May 1980.

It is 56 pages, and a lot to digest, but very well worth the time you will spend. For example, you will find this from then Congressman Leon Panetta: Making Big Sur a National Park would “…induce the kind of rampant tourism that would itself destroy the precious and unique qualities of the area.” (Gazette, p.4, last column.) It seems we didn’t need to become a National Park for that to happen. But then, no one could have anticipated the effect that Social Media would have.

Doug Madsen described Big Sur this way: “Big Sur is really a spiritual retreat, a place wher you can live in harmony with animals and trees and the sun and the moon.” (Gazette, p. 15, “Spiritual Retreat.”)

May this now historical document help you take a look at the changes we have seen. Even if you don’t read all of the testimony before congress regarding turning Big Sur into a State Park (which I would love to see you do) You will get a kick out of the ads from back then. Anyone remember Tom Nash’s (now an attorney) Taxi Service??? Some of us will remember that, but not until that old memory is startled into recognition. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. I will be using it as a background for other posts and considerations in the future.

I’ll leave you with the extemporaneous quote by Senator S.I. Hayakawa, Big Sur is a “crazy place inhabited by rich & poor hippies…unique bohemians…who are zealous conservationists.” (Gazette, p. 36.)

If you are interested in reading any of the 4 years of issues of the Gazette, one can find the Index here.